Not another Mulholland Theory–
There are numerous theories as to the essence of Mulholland Drive ranging from bribery to abortion, dissociative identity disorder to it was all a dream. All make for compelling reading, some of which I can relate to, others I feel are stabs in the dark and have as much to do with Lynch’s vision as a chemical peel…
Which is what you may think about mine–
The first part to the Mulholland Drive plot is straightforward. Rita (Camilla) loses her memory (parady of Diane losing her mind) following a car accident and meets Betty, a hopeful actress arriving in Hollywood for a film audition. When the mysterious blue box is opened we are taken into the past and things get a little weird.
We establish Rita is in fact Camilla, a successful actress who had been in a relationship with Diane. Camilla falls in love with the director, Adam Kasher, but as she is a bitch flaunts her love affair in front of Diane in a callous act to make her jealous. Diane’s fragile mind causes her to go crazy.
That’s the simple set up – this is where things get weird.
Lynch – or Lynchy as we call him in the mob – says the key to understanding Mulholland Drive is the blue box. My theory is the blue box is a metaphorical symbol of the human psyche. Mulholland Drive is set in Hollywood – and the film represents the type of back-stabbing, selfish, ego-maniacs that live in Hollywood. The greed for money, fame and power drives people to be selfish and bitchy (Camilla flaunting love in front of Diane), and on the other side of the fence we see people’s fantasises, hopes and desires (Diane wanting to believe Camilla loves her, Betty’s naivety etc..). What Lynch is identifying here is the fickle characters Hollywood breeds and how the environment they live in makes them so desperate the high risk of failure gnaws away their minds. In Diane’s story we see how her character is drastically changed by life in Hollywood.
Psychologically we walk a tight rope between sanity and insanity. Arriving in LA with a dream of becoming a famous actress, Diane’s life falls apart when her lover, Camilla, not only breaks her heart, but also lands the role she craved would make her a star. In looking for revenge, Diane hires the bungling hit man Joe to kill Camilla – possibly offering him all the money she has. The plan goes wrong when there is a car accident. Diane falls deeper into despair and her hallucinations grow worse. She kills herself.
Betty is a reflection of how things were meant to be for Diane. Falling in love with Camilla and landing the role in the film after impressing at the audition. The first part of Mulholland Drive then is the fantasy, Diane’s ideal. The second part is the reality of the nightmare she lived in which drove her to insanity and the desire for revenge. Before arriving in Hollywood, she was a sweet, naïve young women. After experiencing life in Hollywood she becomes a desperate cut-throat who is prepared to kill.
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